Staple forming and setting machine.



No. 683,32l. Patented oct. |,'-|90|. H. wEBE-n. STAPLE FORMING AND SETTING MACHINE.

- (Application fud mr. 2s, 159s.) (No Model.)

me mums trans col. maro-urna., WASH-Nuda n. c

No. 683,82l. Patented oct. l, 190|. H. WEBER.,

STAPLE FURMING AND SETTING MACHINE. l

' (Application filed Mar. 28, 1898.)

(No Mqdelg) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 683,821. Patented Dot. l, 90L H. WEBER.

STAPLE FUHNIING AND SETTING MACHINE.

(Application led Mar. 28, 1898.) QNo Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

lq'gf lzvcvzr @w through the line 7 7 of Fig. 1.

Nrrnsn STATES PATENT CEEic'E.

HENRY VEBER," OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LATI'IAM MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE. y

STAPLE FORIVIING AND SETTING MACHIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,821, dated October '.l, 1901.

Application filed March 28, 1898. Serial No. 675,495. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY WEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and usef-ul improvements in Vire-Stitching Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to improve the construction of wire-stitching machines; and this object is accomplished in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in Which-i Figure 1 is a front elevation of the top portion of `the machine containing the wire-reel and the wire feeding and cutting and staple forming and driving devices. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail,being a top or plan view of the wire-feeding mechanism. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, being a front view of the wire-feeding wheels, a portion of one of said wheels being cut away to expose the actuating mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, being a top or plan view, partly in section, of the wire-feeding mechanism. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail, being a longitudinal section of the sleeve of the actuating-lever, showing the spring by which it is returned to its original position after being moved forward to feed the wire. Fig. 6 is a detail, being a front view of the staple forming and driving mechanism with the front plate removed and showing the knife-carrying block in vertical section. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section made by a plane passing Fig. Sis a detail, being a vertical section through the staple forming and driving devices made by a plane passing through the line 8 8 of Fig. l. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of the wire-guiding device, partlyin section. Fig. 10 is a detail view showing the feed-rollers for the wire and the arm therefor.

In the drawings, 10 indicates a back plate which carries the devices hereinafter described.A

11 indicates a standard carrying a reel l2, from which the wire is to be fed into the machine. l

13 indicates a curved tube mounted upon a standard 14, which is carried upon the back removably secured thereto.

plate 10 and through which the wire is threaded, as is shown in Fig. 1.

15 indicates the driving-shaft of the machine, which is driven by any appropriate power and upon which is mounted cam 16,

vprovided with cam-groove 17 and rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1.

18 indicates a lever the upper arm of which is provided with a roller 19, which bears upon the outer surface of the cam 16 and at its lower end is provided with a slot 20 (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings) for the reception of the pin 30, hereinafter described. Referring to Fig. 5, the lever 1S has a sleeve 2l journaled upona pin 22, which is secured to the back plate 10 of the machine and is provided at its outer end with a cap 23, The outer end of the sleeve 21 is recessed, as is shown in Fig. 5.

24 indicates a spiral spring which is coiled around the pin 22 and has one end inserted in a suitable opening in the sleeve 21 and the other end in a suitable opening in the cap 23. As the cam 18 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow it bears upon the roller 19 and swings the lever 18 in the-direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. l. As the roller passes .away from that portion of the cam which operates the lever, as before described, the spring 24 operates to return the lever 18 to its original position. The distance or extent of the swing of said lever 18 is regulated by a set-screw 25, which is carried by the arm 26, mounted upon the back plate 10. The bearing-surface of the cani 16 is so shaped that the upper portion of the le- Ver 18 when freed from the bearing-surface of the cani will swing back against the upper end'of the set-screw 25, however far back the said set-screw may be retracted. In Fig. 1 the screw is shown set for about a medium stroke. In case a longer stroke is desired the screw is retracted and the upper arm of the lever is swung by the action of the spring above described backward and upward until it meets the end of the screw. In case a shorter swing of the arm is desired the screw is moved inward to the desired point, thus regulating the extent of the swing of the le- ICO ver, and as the portion of the feeding device which engages the wire and is hereinafter described feeds the wire into the cutting and staple forming and driving devices only during the forward motion of the lower arm of said lever, as is hereinafter described, the

length of the wire fed forward may be regulated as may be desired, depending upon the thickness of the paper to be fastened and the nature of the work. The sleeve 21 of the le- .ver 18 extends in front of the face-plate,

which is cut away for that purpose, as is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

27 indicates a pin which is journaled in the back plate 10, as is best shown in Fig. 4.

28 indicates a ratchet-wheel which is keyed to one end of the pin 27 back ofthe back plate 10.

29 indicates an arm which is rotatably mounted on the inner end of the pin 27 back of the ratchet-wheel 28.

30 indicates a roller which is journaled upon a pin 31 upon the inner surface of the arm 29 and adapted to engage with the slot 2O of the lever 18.

32 33 indicate dogs which are journaled upon a pin 34 on theinuer surface of the arm 29, so as to engage with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 2.8.

35 36 indicate springs which are mounted upon the rock-arm 29 and bear upon the upper surface of the dogs 32V 33, so as to hold them in contact with the teeth of the ratchetwheel 28. The engaging edges of the dogs 32 33 are set, as is best shown in Fig. 4, with one a half a tooths length in advance of the other in order to insure less amount of waste motion, as hereinafter described. As the lever 18 is carried backward by the operationv of the spring, as above described, it swings the rock-arm 29 downward and to the left, the dogs 32 and 33 slipping upon the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 28. Vhen the lower arm of the lever 18 is carried forward or to the right by the operation of the cam 16, the rockarm 29 is swung forward to the right and upward, and one of the dogs 32 33 engaging with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 28 rotates said wheel in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. It is obvious that the engaging edges of the dogs 32 33 being set with one a half a tooths length in advance of the other the ratchet-wheel ordinarily will be engaged by one or the other of said dogs more quickly and with less waste of motion than if only one dog were used. It is also obvious that by this arrangement I can make the teeth of the ratchet-wheel of twice the size that could be used if only one dog were used without causing waste motion. As the ratchetwheel 28 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow it rotates the shaft 27 with it, and it is obvious from what has been said above the extent of this rotation will depend upon the amount of the forward swing of the lower arm of the lever 18.

37 indicates a wheel which is keyed upon the outer end of the pin 27 in front of the back plate 10. The wheel 37 is provided on the inner portion of its periphery with teeth 38 and upon the outer portion of its periphery witha bearing-surface 39. The wheel 37 is so mounted upon the pin 27 that the bearing-surface 39 will be in the same vertical plane with the lower end of the tube 13 and with the wire-cutting and staple forming and driving mechanism hereinafter described.

40 indicates a shaft or pin which is mounted in the back plate 10 in such manner that it may be axially turned for the purpose of adjusting it, as is best shown in Fig. 4, and is secured in desired position by set-screw 41, passing through the end of said plate and bearing upon its surface. The shaft or pin 40 has an eccentric portion 42 in the part thereof which extends forward of the back Yplate 10, as is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

43 indicates a small wheel which is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the shaft or pin 40 in front of the-back plate 10 and is provided with an opening 44, into which any suitable lever may be inserted, so as to'turn the pin 47 in either direction when the pressure of the set-screw is relaxed.

45 indicates a wheel which is journaled upon the eccentric portion of the pin 42 and rotates thereonl The wheel 45 is provided upon the inner portion of its periphery with teeth 46, which engage with the teeth 38 of the wheel 37. The outer portion of its periphery has a bearing-surface 47, which is in the same vertical plane with the bearing-surface 39 of the wheel 37. The wire which is to be fed into the machine being strung through the curved tube 13 is led between the bearing-surfaces 39 47 of the wheels 37 45, and the set-screw 41 being loosened the wheel 43 is turned slightly to the right, thus turning the shaft or pin 40. The wheel 45 being mounted upon the eccentric portion 42 of the pin 40 is thereby moved closer to the wheel 37, so that the wire is engaged between and pressed by the bearing-surfaces 39 and 47, whereupon the set-screw 4l is screwed in, holding the pin 40 in position. It is obvious that by moving the wheel 43 in one direction or the other the distance between the outer surfaces 39 47'of the wheels 37 45 may be increased or diminished, according to the thickness of the wire which it is desired to employ, the teeth 38 and 46 being of course of such height as not to be thrown out of engagement thereby.

48 indicates a yoke through which the forward ends of the pin 27 and the pin 40 pass, so that said pins rotate therein. The yoke, it will be obvious, affords a bearing for the forward ends of the pins 27 and 40, which stiens the construction and prevents the bending of the pins when in operation. As

the ratchet-wheel 28 is rotated, as above described, by the swinging of the lever 18 and IOO IIO

the engagement of the dogs 32 and 33 therewith the wheel 37 is rotated in the same direction. The teeth 38 of the wheel 37 engaging with the teeth 46 of the wheel 45 rotate said wheel 45 in the opposite direction, and the wire being engaged by the bearing-surfaces 39 47 is fed forward into the machine during the rotation of said wheels. Inasmuch as the amount of the rotation of the ratchetwheel, as above described, depends upon the amount of the forward swing of the lower arm of the lever 18, the rotation of the wheels 37 45 is also governed thereby, and the amount of wire which is fed forward depending upon the extent of the rotation of the wheels 37 45 it is obvious that the length of wire fed into the staple forming and driving devices hereinafter described can be regulated as may be desired.

49 indicates a staple-former which is slidingly mounted in a suitable support 50,'hich is fastened to the back plate 10 and is reciprocated by the action of the cam-groove 17 and a roller 51 working therein and mounted upon the upper end of the stapler-former 49.

52 indicates a driver which is slidingly mounted in grooves in the face of the stapleformer 49, as is best shown in Fig. 7, and being carried in said staple-former is operated to drive the staple by a link 53, which is connected at one end with the upper end of said driver and at the other end with the cam 16, as is best shown in Fig. 1.

54 (see Fig. 8) indicates an anvil which is slidingly mounted in the back plate 10 and is provided with a spring 55, which operates to hold the anvil 54 forward. The anvil 54 is provided with a slot 56 in its front end adapted to receive the wire, as is best shown in Figs. 6 and 8, and is beveled upon its upper surface, as is best shown in Fig. 8, so that it is forced longitudinally backward by a downward stroke of the-driver 52.

57 indicates a staple-supporter which is carried upon the staple-former 49, as is best shown in Fig. 1, and is hinged at a point 58 to permit its being swung backward by the action of the driver 52 upon its upper beveled face. The supporter 57 is kept in the position shown in Fig. 8 when not forced backward by the driver by means of a spring-seated pin 59, as is best shown in Fig. 8.

60 indicates a block which is slidingly mounted in a slot 61 of the back plate 10, as is best shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

62 indicates a knife which is slidingly mounted in suitable grooves in the block 60, as is best shown in Fig. 7, and is operated by a pin 63, which is carried by the staple-former 49 and passes through a suitable opening in the upper end of the knife 62. The wire fed into the machine passes through a suitable opening in the lower part of the block 60 ben low the cutting edge of the knife, as is best shown in Fig. 6.

The general structure and operation of the staple-former 49, driver 52, anvil 56, support 57, and knife 62 is well known in wire stapling and stitching machines, and particularly is the same as that described in Letters Patent to me, No. 548,681, of October 29, 1895. The details in which they dier from this construction will be pointed out hereinafter. As to their operationv it is enough to say that the wire fed forward by the roller-feed, above described, in suitable lengths under the knife 62 is severed by a downward stroke of the knife. The staple-former being carried downward bears the portions of the wire which form the leg of the staple downward over the anvil 54, in the slot in the face of which the wire rests. The driver then, operating first forces the anvil 54 backward by the contact of its lower end upon the beveled surface of said anvil, leaving the formed staple hanging upon the support 57, whose lower surface as the support is carried downward by the operation of the mechanism rests upon the top of the paper to be stitched. The driver continuing its downward movement comes in contact with the staple resting upon the support 57 and, forcing the support backward by the operation of its lower edge upon the beveled upper surface thereof, drives the staple through the paper. When the staple is driven,

' the knife and the staple forming and driving parts are retracted into their original position, and the feeding devices feed another portion of wire into them for the next operation.

It is one of the objects of my invention, as above set forth, to provide a means by which the knife 62 may be readily removed from the machine for the purpose of sharpening or renewing the same in case of a break, and it is desirable to do this without taking the machine apart. slot 61, in which the block 60 is mounted, of sufficient length to permit the block 61 to be moved to the left a sufficient distance to bring the knife 62 clear of the end of the pin 63. If, however, this were left uncontrolled, there would be danger that the block 61 might be accidentally moved so far to the left as to bring the knife 62 clear of the end of the pin 63,which operates it,and damage the machine. I provide against that by a device which I will now describe.

64 indicates a screw which is journaled in a lug 65, secured to the back of the back plate 10 and passes through a suitably-threaded opening in the block 60. By the rotation of the screw the block 60 is moved to the right or left in the slot 61, thus regulating the length of the wire cut by the knife 62 to conform to the length of wire fed Linder said knife by the operation of the wire-feeding devices above described, and regulated by corresponding gages 66 67 in the well-known manner described in Letters Patentto me No. 548,681. To prevent the block 61 being accidentally carried so far back as to clear I accomplish this by making IOG IIS

Iig

the knife 62 from the pin 63,I provide the block 60 with a spring-seated latch 68 (See Figs. 7 and 8.)

69.. indicates a notch cut into the back of the back plate lO and adapted to receive the latch 68 when the block 60 is moved to the left a sufficient distance, and thus prevent the block 60 being carried farther to the left by the rotation of the screw 64. The position of the notch 69 back of the back plate 10 is such that the latch 68 will engage said notch 69 before the knife 62 is freed from the end of the pin G3, thus preventing the accidental movement of the block so far to the left as to disengage the knife from said pin. This is the adjustment of the parts in the ordinary operation of the machine. If it is desired to remove the knife from any cause, the latch 68 must be pulled out by hand, so as to free it from the notch 69, and held in that position against the spring 70 while the screw 64 is rotated to move the block 60 still farther to the left in order to free the knife 62 from the pin G3.

7l indicates a bracket or support which is screwed into or otherwise suitably secured to the back plate 10, as is best shown in Fig. 9.

72 indicates an arm which passes through a suitable opening in the forward end of the bracket or support 7l. The upper portion of the arm 72 is screw-threaded, as is shown in Fig. 9, and carries the nut 73, which bears upon the upper surface of the bracket or support 71.

74 indicates a spring which bears upon the bracket or support 7l and upon a shoulder 75 on the arm 72 and tends to press the arm 72 downward as the nut 7 3 is screwed up upon the screw-threaded portion of said arm 72. By screwing the nut down upon the arm 72 it will be seen that the arm 72 is raised, and by turning the nut 73 in the opposite direction the spring 74 forces the arm 72 downward.

76 77 78 (see Figs. l and 9)indicate rollers which are carried in the lower end of the arm 72, as is best shown in Fig. 9, roller 76 being above and the two rollers 77 78 below. The wire, as is shown in Fig. l, passes under the roller 7 6 and above the rollers 77 7 8.

The operation of the device is as follows:

It sometimes happensin the operation of a machine that the wire being fed forward does not always in passing through the opening in the block 60 come exactly opposite the slot 56 of the anvil 54, and therefore is not fed into said slot, as is necessary in the operation of the machine. By adjustment of the device above described up or down a suitable amount this may be corrected. When the front end of the wire as it is fed in comes a little above the slot, the arm 72 is raised a proper amount, which causes the end of the wire near the anvil to be depressed. When the end of the wire at the anvil comes below the slot, the arm 72 is lowered, which causes the said end of the wire to be raised. The amount of movement of the arm 72 for the purpose of causing the end of the Wire to be fed properly into the slot 56 depends upon the amount of displacement of the wire and is regulated by the operator accordingly.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 6, and as is well known in machines of this character, in order to afford places within which the knife-carrying block may act and to afford room for operation of the pin for moving the cutting-knife a portion of the supportingblock 50, in which the staple-former 49 is slidingly mounted, as above described, has to be cut away opposite the lower end of the stapleformer upon the side facing the carrier-block, leaving that arm of the staple-former laterally unsupported. As a result of this it frequently happens in the operation of a machine that the arm of the staple-former left thus laterally unsupported is bent outwardly by the strain. In order to prevent this, I provide the arm of the staple-former, which is upon the open side of the block 50, upon its front and itsl rear faces with grooves 79 80, which extend upward from the lower end a suitable distancia, as is best shown in Figs. 6 and 7. I also provide a suitable tongue 81 upon the portion of the block 50 back of the said arm of the staple-former to coact with the groove 80, and also provide the face-plate 82, which is screwed upon the block 50 to protect the staple former and driving devices, with another tongue 83, which coacts with the groove 79 upon the front face of the stapleformer 49, as is best shown in Fig. 7. These tongues working in said grooves afford suitable lateral support for the exposed arm of the staple-former 49 and prevent its being bent outward by a strain coming upon it during the operation of the machine.Y

I have shown the grooves 79 and 8O as being formed in the staple-former 49 and the tongues 81 and 83 in the support 50 and faceplate 82, respectively; but I do not limit myself to that construction, as it is obvious that the grooves might be formed in the support 50 and face-plate 82 and the tongues upon the staple-former.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wire-stapling machine, the combination with staple forming and driving mechanism, of a knife-carrying block slidingly mounted on a suitable support, mechanism for moving said knife-carrying block forward and backward on said support, and latching mechanism to limit the movement of said block on its support, substantially as described.

2. In a wire-stapling machine, the combination with wire-feeding and staple forming and driving mechanism, of a knife-carrying block slidingly mounted on a suitable support,said support being provided with a notch, mechanism for moving said knife-carrying TOO IIO

block forward and backward on said support, said staple-former being provided with coactand a spring-seated latch carried by said ing tongues and grooves, substantially as de- 1o knife-carrying block and constructed to enscribed.

gage with the notch in said support, substan- 5 tiaily as described. HENRY WEBER' 3. In a wire-stapling machine, the combi- Witnesses: nation with supports 50 82 of a staple-former ALBERT H. ADAMS, slidingly carried thereby, said supports and HOLMES A. TILDEN. 

